What is an analysis of I Was Told to Come Alone?

In I Was Told to Come Alone, Souad Mekhennet charts the rise of jihadi groups and discusses how different factors lead to radicalization. She argues that better cultural understanding between the West and the Middle East is essential for positive changes to be made.

Mekhennet uses her experience as a journalist, as well as her background as a German of Turkish and Morrocan descent, to view the rise of jihadi groups in the Middle East and the anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. Her point of view informs every incident in the book. The suspicion with which she's treated as a female Muslim journalist also creates an interesting perspective that informs her writing, her interviews, and her experiences. In a very real way, Mekhennet herself represents the two cultures that seem so unable to understand each other. 

I Was Told to Come Alone is set all over the world. Her childhood in Germany and her time living in Morocco are examined in depth, as are her family members. She works at various newspapers and travels to many places to meet interview subjects. Some of the places to which she travels are dangerous; others make her feel safe and comfortable. Whenever she notices something interesting in her surroundings, she points it out to the reader to help them get a sense of a place they may never visit themselves.

When she starts being scared of the anti-Muslim sentiments in Germany, Mekhennet says she was ripe for radicalization. Although she escaped it because of her strong family and social ties, it helped her recognize how a lonely, angry, and isolated young person could be exploited. That is the root of her interest in radicalization. When a friend's nephew is convinced to travel from Germany to Syria to join a jihadi group, it hits her even closer to home. Mekhennet's experiences make it clear that radicalization isn't an unusual event. It's a serious problem that will continue happening until the issues that make a person susceptible to it are addressed. 

Mekhennet makes a good argument for creating better understanding between the two cultures in her book. Since they aren't able to relate to each other, it's easier for them to hate each other. Cultural misunderstanding and misplaced hate also contribute to radicalization and the rise of jihadi groups. She finds that anger lurks in the heart of each jihadist and recognizes that underneath the person they've become is a lost person they could have been. She also discusses the benefits of increasing education, saying that Middle Eastern leaders need to fix their issues so that the next generation has a chance to "grow up learning about history, medicine, and mathematics instead of running from bullets and bombs, fleeing their homes, and living in refugee camps or on the street." She calls out Iran and Saudi Arabia in particular. 

Ultimately, Mekhennet makes a strong case for working to solve the issues that contribute to the rage leading people to become jihadists. She doesn't blame the rise of militant groups on any one incident, saying that it's "the result of many mistakes." Her argument that understanding and being more aware of other cultures could help is supported by her experiences and conclusions. She says that people in Western countries "don't see the hazards of setting standards for others, as if our way is the right way and the only way. This is the same argument that ISIS makes." She has strong words and suggestions for each side, which helps to round out her argument and make it more effective. It also better represents her own unique placement as a liberal Western woman of Middle Eastern descent.